Genoa sophomore Antonio Quezada didn't even wrestle in the quarterfinals.

But when he took to the mat in the finals against Massillon Tuslaw, Quezada came through in the clutch. Quezada ran rampant over Austin Byall, clinching the Division III dual team state championship for the No. 1-ranked Comets.

"What a special night," seventh-year Genoa coach Bob Bergman said. "What a great night for our community. It is an awesome, awesome moment. It felt like another home dual with the crowd rocking."

Genoa (29-0) won 40-20 after Quezada's victory established a 37-14 advantage.

"I was nervous because I had to win my match to secure the dual," Quezada said. "State champions feels good."

The team championship is the first of any kind for Genoa High School. The Comets were second at the individual state wrestling tournament last season and the boys track team was second in Ohio in 1992.

"Being state champions has been a goal for a long time," Bergman said. "You get closer and closer and closer. To finally break through, it feels great."

Quezada scored a takedown and near-fall to lead 5-0 after one period. A reversal and near-fall pushed it to 10-0 after two periods, and a takedown and near-fall ended the match 15-0 just 30 seconds into the third period.

"Antonio is kind of our ace in the hole," Bergman said. "He has battled some sickness, so we didn't want to use him much. For him to bump up and win that match, that was a great moment for us."

The match against the Mustangs (25-1) was a methodical 1 vs. 2 matchup. After Tuslaw scored a technical fall at 106 pounds, Devin D'Emilio came up with a huge pin in 1:51 over Joe Viront. D'Emilio scored a quick takedown.

"We knew that was going to be a big swing match," Bergman said. "We were hoping to keep it close and to see him pin for the win was fantastic. It was a real boost to the whole bench. Devin stepped up with a big moment for us."

Dylan D'Emilio continued his brilliant season and career when he pinned Connor Brennan, a fellow 100-victory wrestler, at 132. D'Emilio (41-0) won in 2:35.

"Dylan is in the zone and when he is in the zone, he is tough to stop," Bergman said. "He can generate offense from anywhere on anyone. That was a showcase for that."

Dustin Morgillo won 9-1 over Brier Marthey at 138 before the Mustangs got a win at 145. At 152, Kevin Contos (15-0), a transfer from Clay High School, picked up a 7-2 decision over Kyle Rader.

"It is just like family. They treat me like one of their own," Contos said. "State champions sounds good. I wanted to do my best and give it my all."

James Limongi (36-3) also continued his dominance, pinning Greg Eberhardt in 1:21 for a 32-8 lead. Tuslaw got decision wins at 170 and 182 to draw within striking distance before Quezada's win.

"We have been talking about being state champions all year," Dylan D'Emilio said. "To actually have it as reality is cool."

Noah Koch (40-6) added a 4-3 overtime win for the Comets to finish off the dominating day. The Comets won 35 of 42 contested matches.

"This championship is special," Bergman said. "These kids deserve the credit. They worked their tails off and put in the extra hours. They have had this goal for a while and to see them accomplish it, it is special for this community and our school."

Genoa topped Versailles 50-9 in the semifinals. The Comets had a slow start before accelerating in the middle weights.

Devin D'Emilio trailed 7-0 in the second period, but managed a reversal in the second period. In the third period, a takedown and near-fall tied the match before the Tigers' Trevor Huber was called for stalling, giving D'Emilio the win.

"It was a testament to his grit and fiber," Bergman said of D'Emilio. "He battled back and he is a scrappy guy. That was a nice comeback win after getting down. That is the kind of performance we needed."

"Getting 12 wins in a row is a very nice statement," Bergman said "We had a rocky start and it was nice to rebound. Our kids fed off of each other."

Andrew Muir topped Kyle Wuebker 5-0 at 145 and Contos picked up a 15-0 technical fall at 152 for a 29-6 lead. Limongi pinned Derek Cavin in 50 seconds and Genoa clinched the victory when Seth Moore (38-7) grinded out a 6-4 win at 170 over Tyler Gigandet.

"The middle guys continue to set the standard and gel," Bergman said. "It is a culture of who can step up and they are all in a groove now."

Xavier Beach (34-10) pinned Isaac Gilmore in 4:16 at 182 and Quezada won 4-3 over Isaac Grilliot at 195. Christian Aranda (25-16) bounced back after a disappointing performance in the quarterfinals as he took out Austin Nerderman 6-2 at 220.

"Christian kept looking through the windshield rather than the rear-view mirror," Bergman said.

Genoa made quick work of Bethel-Tate 62-6 in the quarterfinals. Welsh pinned Joe Reinert in 3:21 before Devin D'Emilio grinded out a 2-1 decision over Zack Gutknecht at 113. D'Emilio scored a takedown before Gutknecht escaped and neither scored a point after the first period.

"The kids handled themselves well," Bergman said. "It was nice to see us get off to a fast start and take care of business. We did what we needed to do."

Oscar Sanchez picked up a 13-5 major decision over Trey Sander at 120. Sanchez led 8-0 after two periods, but Sander scored a takedown and near-fall to cut Sanchez's lead to 8-4.

The junior responded with two takedowns to pick up the win.

"Oscar just got a little high," Bergman said. "His feet got caught in the mat. It was no big deal."

Julian Sanchez pinned Donnie Harrison in 39 seconds at 126, Dylan D'Emilio pinned Austin Carter in 3:00 at 132 and Morgillo scored four takedowns and three near-falls to register a 16-1 technical fall over Mike Whittington at 138.

"I wanted to stay on a hard pace," Dylan D'Emilio said. "I had to get where I wanted to be. This team is awesome and we fight as hard as we can for each other."

At 145, Jacob Stewart pinned Jonah Blankenship in 3:30 before Contos picked up a 10-3 decision over Matt Hall at 152.

Limongi vanquished Cooper Dunn with a pin in 51 seconds, while Moore pinned Owen Holtke in 3:26 at 170 after a first period takedown. At 182, Beach shut out Owen Mattes 15-0 for a technical fall.

"It was nice to turn it loose," Bergman said. "It has been a lot of practices since our regional final match to now. It was nice to finally get back on the mat and compete again."

Genoa lost one match against Bethel-Tate and its closest win was Brian Martin's 10-5 decision at 195. Martin led 4-1 in the second period when Nate Owens scored a reversal and near-fall for a 5-4 lead. Martin scored a point on an illegal move and another on a escape, then added two takedowns for the victory.